Pick, Prediction, & Preview:

Utah Utes vs Arizona State Sun Devils

The 16th ranked Utah Utes will travel to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, to face the Arizona State Sun Devils on Saturday afternoon at 3 pm EST in Pac 12 South division play. The Utes are coming off a 41-10 road win over the UCLA Bruins last Saturday as the Utes pounded the home team on the ground in collecting 326 total yards in their fourth straight win. The Sun Devils are also coming off a big victory on the road versus the USC Trojans as Eno Benjamin led a rushing attack that racked up 283 yards on the night with 185 yards along with two TD’s in the win and halting a two-game skid in the meantime. The Utes are 4-1 ATS in the last five games versus the Sun Devils. The last time these teams met was on October 21, 2017 as the Sun Devils picked up the 30-10 road win as Tyler Huntley threw four interceptions while Utah also gave up 200 yards on the ground to the Sun Devils in a blowout victory.

Utah Utes's Latest Performance :

The Utes have scored 40 or more points in each of their last four outings as they continued this trend with a 41-10 road win over the UCLA Bruins in their last outing as they dominated on the ground in rushing for 325 yards total. Zack Moss led the attack with 211 yards along with three TD’s in the game while Tyler Huntley threw for only 138 yards and an interception. The defense collected three turnovers of the day yet allowed 4.9 yards per rush to the Bruins with Joshua Kelly having 90 yards along with a TD. The Utes are 4-0 ATS in their last four outings while their defense has also been a catalyst in that they are allowing just 17 points per game during this time. ASU has really tallied up the yardage this year in averaging over 400 yards per game, yet, the Utes are ranked 9th in the nation in yards allowed with only 288 per outing.

Arizona State Sun Devils 's Latest Performance :

The Sun Devils went up at the half by a 24-14 score on the road versus the Trojans in their last outing, and despite being outscored in the second half by a 21-14 score, was able to come out with a huge win last Saturday. Eno Benjamin paced the offense in this game with 185 yards along with 2 TD’s while Manny Wilkins threw for 166 yards along with a touchdown pass. N’Keal Harry paced the receiving corps with 95 yards and a TD in the win. Harry also had a huge 92-yard punt return to regain the lead the Arizona State and put them up 31-28 late in the third period.

And while it would be a longshot for the Sun Devils to win the Pac 12 South crown, it would be fair to say that if they were to beat Utah along with finish out their season with wins over UCLA, Oregon, along with 3rd seeded Arizona, with the way in which 2nd seeded USC along with 4th seeded Colorado has played recently, they can still have a shot. Nonetheless, they certainly have experience and success versus the Utes in the past and are prepared to make this an interesting contest this weekend.

How Utah Utes & Arizona State Sun Devils Matchup.

Vegas Odds, Offshore Odds, & Odds ATS:

Utah is 5-3 ATS while the OU is 4-4

Arizona State is 5-3 ATS while the OU is 4-4

In-Depth Analysis of each team:

It will be interesting to see how the Sun Devil offense responds to such an aggressive defense in the Utes. As stated, Utah is not only stout within the rush defense, which allows only 83 yards on the ground, but, they are only allowing 16.8 points per game, overall, for the season. Arizona State has not exactly been lighting it up on the offensive end this year as they have scored 30 or more points in only three of their eight games this year. In other words, this may well be yet another low scoring contest between teams that are looking to extend their recent success in the conference.

Against The Spread Selection: Pick: Arizona State Sun Devils +7

My reason for the pick :

While the Utes are averaging over 40 points in their last four outings, the Sun Devils are allowing just 23 pints per game this season and will certainly keep this game close throughout, particularly with a shaky Huntley under center for the Utes. It is for this reason that I will certainly take the points with the home team as they halted a two-game losing streak last weekend. Furthermore, they are only 2-4 in their last six outings, with each of those being by seven points. In all, expect ASU to perform well in this matchup at home while covering the spread.

Totals Selection: Pick: Under 56

My reason for the prediction :

The under has been the play in three of the last five games for the Sun Devils while also being the result in two of the last three games for the Utes. Also, the under was the play in their last matchup as well, so, expect this to be a low scoring and competitive contest in a division that has seemingly turned upside down recently due to the misfortunes of USC and Colorado, for instance. Again, the under will indeed be the strong play in this matchup.

Betting trends for Utah Utes:

Utes are 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games on grass.

Over is 4-0 in Utes last 4 games after accumulating less than 170 yards passing in their previous game.

Utes are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 conference games.

Betting trends for Arizona State Sun Devils :

Arizona State Under is 4-1 in Sun Devils last 5 vs. a team with a winning record.

Over is 4-1 in Sun Devils last 5 games in November.

Sun Devils are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 conference games.

Falepa

A sports analyst and enthusiast, Filipa enjoys writing articles for NHL, NBA, NCAAB, and, of course, for NCAAF. In addition, he enjoys the true art of breaking down games in such as way as to locate certain trends that can impact future contests. With a willingness to research, construct, and relay information that any reader can understand, Filipa aims to provide the reader with interesting & indepth knowledge for upcoming sporting events.